Daryl Dixon and The Mayan Treasure
by byebyeholocene
Summary: Modern Indiana Jones AU - Bethyl - Beth Greene is a young archivist working at Atlanta's Mayan museum. After someone tries to steal one of the museum's treasured objects, it is up to archaeologist, professor and adventurer Daryl Dixon to help saving a hidden treasure from the Governor. Beth Greene is not gonna let someone save her precious Mayan art without her help.
1. Atlanta's Mayan Museum

**I have NO idea where this came from, honestly. I just love Indiana Jones and I really needed to take a day off my dissertation! So yeah, here we have Daryl Dixon with some of Indy's sass and Beth as his companion and leading lady. I know, I know. Let me know if you like it and if you guys would be interested in me going on with this, but I have to warn you I have no clue when I'll be able to update next (same thing for those of you who are asking about Fire and Ice)! Hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

Beth walked into the museum holding an iced coffee from Starbucks in one hand and her phone in the other. As every morning, she was ten minutes early before she had to start working, and she took that time to listen to some of her newfound music, usually unknown and upcoming indie band, and just relax and enjoy her coffee before the long day started. Blonde hair tied in a ponytail and some black trousers worn with a flannel shirt, she strode inside the building.

She had been working as an archivist at the Mayan Art museum in Atlanta for almost six months now, and she could safely say that she loved her job. She got to see closely all of the amazing historic pieces of the museum, learn about them and then organize the new arrivals the way she thought would be the most appropriate. To her, it was like creating a painting for the people who came to the Museum to learn about the Mayan culture, and Beth had always loved everything that had to do with art and storytelling. Another perk of her job was that Dale, the head of the museum, let her be a tour guide for school children, as she was by far the best at dealing with them, together with Carol. The museum wasn't very big at all, so it didn't require a huge staff. There were only two other guides, Jacqui and Milton, and then there was Lori, who worked as a secretary and financial administrator, and the guardians, T-Dog, Noah and Shane. Beth was the newbie at the museum, and she had immediately been accepted by the others as one of them, and had become a part of their family.

She loved hanging out with other 'nerds' like her, which is why that morning she immediately joined Lori, who was also having some coffee behind her desk, for a chat.

"Hey Lori!"

"Goodmorning, Beth. How are you doing today?"

"Well, thanks. How's Judy? You should bring her around more, I swear she is the cutest baby I've ever seen." Beth loved the Grimes kids: she knew Carl had a childish crush for her since she had been his tour guide two months ago, and she absolutely adored Judith, and the feeling seemed to be mutual for the one-year-old baby.

"Trust me, I wish I could. I'm sure she would love seeing you, you're definitely one of her favourite people!"

"If you ever need babysitting…"

Lori smiled, her dark eyes warm as she put a hand on Beth's arm.

"You know you're our favourite babysitter, Beth".

Beth smiled too, but before she could say anything else, they were interrupted by the arrival of Shane. He looked grumpier than usual, and slightly worried too.

"Everything okay?" Lori asked, staring at him.

"I don't wanna alarm you girls, but…"

"What happened?" Beth asked when he didn't finish the sentence.

"Someone tried breaking in tonight. They were going for room 23, but the alarm and T-Dog and Noah apparently caught them off guard."

"Was the guy caught?" Lori questioned, apprehensively.

"Who told you it was a guy?" Shane bickered back, before answering "No. He jumped out of a window, and he was wearing a ski mask so we couldn't identify him. He had a car ready to pick him up and they just vanished before the police could even get here." Shane looked really pissed off, and he turned towards Lori: "I called Rick. They are investigating, but there ain't much we can do."

"What could they possibly want to take though?" Beth wondered out loud, "Are you sure they were going for room 23?"

"Positive, they attempted to break the door."

"But… but there's no gold in there. It's just an old Mayan calendar and some poor vases," she explained to her colleagues.

Shane shrugged "Who knows? Maybe some war lord is a nerd just like you," he said. Beth knew he meant no offence, that he genuinely couldn't comprehend her fascination with Mayan art, but she still stuck her tongue out at him.

"Is there anything we should be doing?" Lori asked then.

Shane shook his head. "Just be careful. You see anything unusual, you call me or one of the guys, clear?"

Lori and Beth just nodded, and Shane went to take his place at the entry of the museum.

"…I just don't get why they would go for room 23."

Lori smiled at her, pinching her cheek and saying: "You _are_ a little nerd, Beth Greene. But that's why we love you."

* * *

Beth just didn't get it. She has spent all day buried in her books in her office, trying to figure out whether she had missed out on some detail that would make any of the objects in room 23 of any particular value, but she couldn't find anything.

Lori and the guides had already left, and she had just gotten a text from Tara, one of her best friends, telling her to "stop being a nerd and go home", but she was just too intrigued to give up on this yet.

She decided to go find Dale: her boss was not only the nicest human being in the world, but he was also one of the most knowledgeable people when it came to Mayan culture.  
She could still remember the day of her interview for the job: she had been so nervous, but Dale had been so kind to her and had starting chatting with her. She hadn't even realized that he had managed to make her loosen up and in that process he also had asked her many things about Mayans. It had just felt like a nice chat between friends with a common passion, but at the end of it she had come out with a job.  
Dale had trusted her immediately and recognized in her a fellow spirit, and she was just so grateful for it.

She picked up her stuff and a huge book she thought might be useful, locked her office door and made her way towards Dale's. She was halfway through when she decided to go check room 23 once again, just to find some inspiration and to take a better look at the objects.  
She felt a shiver down her back: the museum was dark, silent and just the night before someone had managed to break in. Although she knew that there was quite a number of police officers patrolling the area and that the museum had cameras and alarms, she still clutched her heavy book to the heart as if it was a shield.

'Come on Beth, don't act like such a chicken', she told herself, climbing the stairs and walking towards the dim hallway that lead to room 23.

Suddenly, she heard a noise.

Her heart started to race inside her chest, and she became instantly paranoid that whoever it was behind the corner of the hall was going to be able to hear it.

She took a silent, calming breath and clutched the book in her hands: history was a heavy weapon, figuratively and, well, literally too. With one last breath, she peeked from the corner.

There was a man trying to open the door of room 23. He was tall, wearing a dark brown leather jacket and beige trousers. He didn't correspond with the identikit that Shane had handed out to all of them (a man all in black with a ski mask), but if he was smart enough he probably had decided to change his outfit. He probably had entered the museum as a visitor, and then hid somewhere until closing time. He seemed really tall, large shoulders and dark, shaggy hair.

Beth didn't know what to do. If she ran downstairs and alerted the police he could have managed to open the door and leave in time, and she didn't want him to run away with one of her precious Mayan treasures. But was she strong enough and quick enough to distract him and call for help without ending up dead or injured? She definitely wasn't strong enough, and what if he was armed? But what if he took the Mayan objects and managed to escape?

In a quick second of craziness, Beth decided that she was going to be brave: after all, she was Hershel Greene's daughter. She was tougher than she looked, and she definitely wasn't a coward.

The stranger wasn't but a few meters away, and he seemed so busy with the door, his back turned towards her, that maybe she had a chance of surprising him. She took one last, shaky breath, and then she started moving forwards, quietly. She had always been a quiet person, and she couldn't be more grateful for that, now.

Her heart felt like it was going to leap out of her chest, and she hoped that the criminal couldn't smell fear because hell, she was terrified. In a few steps she got close enough and it was now or never. Before he could realize it, she smashed the giant book over his head with all the strength she possessed.

* * *

She had hit the man on the head, but he hadn't fallen as she expected him too.

He turned around, and in a second he had her pinned to the wall, an arm chocking her and the other restraining her arms.

A confused "What the hell?" came out of his lips in a grunt, and immediately he had her released.

It was her chance. "SECURITY! SECURITY! HELP!" she started shouting, and immediately the stranger's big hand fell over her mouth and silenced her.

"Would you STOP shouting, girl?!"

In a second, Shane and two police officers were running towards her, and so was Dale, looking concerned.

"What is going on here?" he asked, looking absolutely confused.

The man immediately released her, picking up the heavy book in his hands.

"Is _this_ how you greet your guests, Dale? Girl here hit me in the head with this," the man replied, sounding unimpressed.

Beth had no clue what was going on: this man knew Dale?

"Everybody calm down, I know him, I've invited him to come," the older man said, and he gestures for the policemen to leave, which they did looking slightly puzzled. "Beth, darling, this man is not a thief. He is an archaeologist, and my god-son, too. Let me introduce you two: Daryl, this is my archivist, Beth Greene. Beth, meet Professor Daryl Dixon."

Daryl Dixon? _That_ Daryl Dixon, one of the most famous archaeologists alive? Daryl Dixon whose books she had studied and loved in college? She had just hit _that_ Daryl Dixon on the head mistaking him for a criminal?

Beth turned crimson. She didn't know why, but she had always imagined him to be, well, an old man. Instead, he looked like he was in his late thirties, and he could have just come back from a safari, or something like that. And he was handsome, too, with piercing blue eyes, high cheekbones and an intense look on his face.

"Professor Dixon I'm.. I'm so sorry!" she said, turning bright red and feeling her face and neck going hot.

He smirked at her, and looked at the book she had hit him with.

"Huh. I never understood people who claimed that my research was dangerous. Had I known someone was gonna hit me in the head with it, maybe I would have agreed with them," he drawled.

Dale laughed out loud, clapping a hand on his back.

"Our Beth here is a great fan of your research, Daryl. She's one of the brightest people I've met, so I hope you don't mind if I invite her to come along with us while we discuss this," Dale said.

Beth opened her mouth in shock, and Daryl smirked again.

"The more the merrier," he just said.

"Good. Now, Beth, can I open the room without you coming at me with pepper spray or similar?" Dale asked, smiling.

Beth nodded, still deeply embarrassed. She couldn't believe Dale was gonna let her listen to… well, to whatever it was that was about to happen in room 23. The older man opened the door, and Daryl held her open for her.

"Ladies first," he said in his gravelly voice.

There was something in that sentence that made Beth come back to her senses, and she felt a wave of pride swelling her chest: she was not going to have him think that she was some delicate flower or some silly teenager. She was a woman, and a capable one. She held her head high and didn't look at him and she thanked him politely, trying to channel the Scarlett O'Hara that he had hidden inside her.

Dale smiled at her knowingly, before explaining: "The reason why I asked Daryl to come here is because I think there's something suspect with people trying to break into room 23. I'm sure you thought the same thing, Beth."

Beth nodded, feeling more at ease. "I did. It's just… there isn't any gold in here, or anything of particular value. If anything, this is the least precious room in the whole museum. I just don't get why anyone would want to steal a Mayan calendar, or a vase, or…"

"It's part of a code."

Daryl was right behind her, and it made her jump, which he seemed satisfied about. She frowned at him, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"What code?" she asked, boldly.

"The calendar in here has a symbol on the back, doesn't it?" he replied, a challenging tone to his voice.

"Yes, but…"

"It's part of a series of symbols. Supposedly, they lead to a treasure in the Mexican Jungle. They lead to gold."

"How do you know it's true?" Beth asked, sceptical.

" _I_ know because _I_ have two of the other six symbols, missy," he replied smugly.

"Daryl had asked me to come here and see the thing for himself next week. When I told him that someone tried to break into this room, we decided to anticipate his visit."

Beth took a step back, her eyes going from Dale to Daryl.

"Wait. Dale, you were gonna let him _see_ it?"

"Of course I was. He is a friend and a scholar, and…"

Beth felt anger surge inside of her, as she whipped her hair and turned towards Daryl.

"Why are _you_ so interested in the treasure, huh? How do we know that you're different from whoever it is that wants to get the gold?"

Daryl looked shocked: "Are you kidding me?" he took a step towards her, and Beth fought hard not to take a step back. "I would never, _never_ steal something that isn't mine. If that treasure is true, I will make sure it ends up where it should be."

"And where is that, Professor Dixon?" she asked, not budging.

"This museum," he replied, as if it was obvious.

"And what do you get out of this?"

Daryl opened his mouth to reply, looking outraged, but Dale stepped in between them.

"Easy, easy now, Beth. Daryl has always taken his findings to museums, since he first started exploring when he was just a boy. That's who he is, that's the man I know. I know this is all very sudden, but believe me, Daryl has the best intentions when it comes to antiquities."

Beth trusted Dale, and she trusted his judgement. She couldn't help but feel a little suspicious at this Professor Dixon, who looked more like the member of a gang than an archaeologist, but she would have to trust him for the moment.

"Alright," she mumble, frowning at Daryl as if to guard him.

He was looking at her intensely, and she could have sworn she saw a glimpse of pride, a spark of satisfaction in his blue eyes.

"So, if you know why they want the calendar I assume you also know who it is that we are talking about," Dale said, a serious look on his usually happy face.

Daryl nodded "It's the Governor. His men have been following me for weeks now, trying to attack me. They know I have the other two symbols and they know I'm not gonna let them take them."

"Who is the Governor?" Beth asked, curiously.

"He's a trafficker. Been around for years. It's not the first time he tries to steal treasures to make money off them, and many times he has succeeded, too. I wanna make sure this will be the last time he ever tries. That scum belongs to jail just as much as that treasure…"

"…belongs in a museum," Beth completed his sentence and found herself strangely full of adrenaline again, listening to this man talking about stopping this evil man and putting things in _museums._ "I want to help," she heard herself saying.

Dale and Daryl both turned towards her, and Dale looked like he had seen a ghost. Daryl just smirked.

* * *

 **So here it is! Let me know what you guys think :)**


	2. The Adventure Begins

**So, I actually managed to write down chapter 2 in the middle of the dissertation! I'm pretty proud of myself, and I can't believe you guys are actually enjoying this story! Please keep reviewing it, I'm so curious to know what you guys think of this. If you hadn't noticed already, it's gonna be a pretty light hearted and fun story, just like the Indiana Jones movies are :) Enjoy this new chapter!**

* * *

"Daryl, please, don't be stupid! You can't bring Beth with you, it's not _safe!_ " Dale was following Daryl down the hall back to his office, and Beth was struggling to keep up with them.

She understood Dale, she really did. He treated her like a father would: she was young, and away from home and she knew he saw her as a fragile thing that had to be protected. But she wasn't. All her life, she had wanted something like this to happen to her. An opportunity to really prove the world – and herself- that she _could_ do this. That she wasn't just some scared little girl, that she was _capable.  
_  
Running on an adventure with the famous, dangerous, surly archaeologist Daryl Dixon? She couldn't have asked for a better opportunity to finally prove her worth. Moreover, she actually thought that he could have used her help. There weren't many people who knew more than she did about Mayan art.

"Dale, you can't keep me from doing this! I am twenty-two years old! And it's for the good of the museum and all that's inside of it!"

"Beth, I can't take this responsibility, I…"

"Then don't. It's not your responsibility, Dale. It's my choice."

She eyed Daryl, expecting him to come to her rescue but he seemed too busy looking at the Mayan calendar to care.

Dale sighed. "I guess you couldn't be in safer hands, Beth," he muttered. He stepped towards Daryl, grabbing him by the arm.

Daryl rolled his eyes and looked at him.

"I know, I know. I'll keep her safe, Dale."

"Don't sass me. I know how your 'explorations' end up, with you being followed by some bunch of crazy people with guns. You're not on your own this time, you better remember that."

"Hey, I don't go lookin' for them! It's them who come lookin' for _me_!" Daryl complained.

Beth couldn't help but shiver, half in fear and half in anticipation.

 _Adventure._ Real, out of a novel adventure.

Dale shook his head, resigned, before looking at Beth.

"It's a dangerous world out there. It's not a game, Bethy, and remember you have a family to go back to. And me and the crew, okay? Don't be foolish, okay?"

She nodded, hugging the older man. "I promise, I'll be back before you know it! Just tell the others I'm taking a short holiday."

"Ain't a holiday, _Bethy_ ," Daryl interrupted the hug, looking unimpressed. "And I better teach you how to shoot a gun, you can go around hitting people with books and with those tiny arms of yours."

"Excuse _me?_ "

"You heard me."

Daryl and her kept bickering, and she could have sworn she heard Dale muttering something to himself that sounded very close to 'Daryl Dixon and women'.

* * *

The morning after Beth woke up at 6, despite having gone to bed late and having had a hard time falling asleep because of the excitement.

She quickly prepared a backpack and a bag with what she considered sensible clothes, glad that she was actually an outdoorsy person. She tried to think about the clothes Daryl was wearing the day before, picking a leather jacket to match, boots and comfortable clothes.

She couldn't help but feel a little like Lara Croft as she watched her refection in the mirror, and she quickly braided her hair to channel the tomb raider a bit more. Yes, she looked ready for adventure, she decided. Despite that, she still packed mascara and lipstick, just in case.

She couldn't believe what she was doing, and when she heard the rumble of a motorcycle outside she darted out of her home. She had called her parents and told them she would be on holiday for a couple weeks, so that they didn't have to worry.

She sprinted out of the house, only stopping in front of Daryl, who had gotten off of his bike and was staring at her looking quite amused.

"What?" she snapped.

"Playing dress up, Lara?"

Beth blushed, but stood her ground.

"Would you rather me be going around the jungle wearing a sundress?" she bit back.

Daryl didn't say anything, before eying the compass she was wearing across her neck and huffing, shaking his head.

"What, so you're the only one who can look cool?" Beth exclaimed, exasperated.

"You think I look cool, Bethy?"

"Don't call me Bethy!" she hoped he hadn't noted her blush.

He just smirked, offering her a helmet after having put her bag in the back trunk.

"Hop on and hold tight, okay?"

"Yes, Professor Dixon."

He didn't say anything, but as soon as he started the engine he gave the motorbike a sudden acceleration that had her squealing.

"That'll teach you, _Bethy."_

* * *

"A plane? We're taking a _plane?"_

"Girl, just five minutes ago you complained that your ass was feeling stiff after just half an hour, do you really wanna ride a bike to Mexico? Besides, it's safer this way."

Beth couldn't help but feel a little disappointed: going on a plane didn't feel adventurous at all, she thought, even though she had to agree that her butt was feeling really stiff already. She had never been on a bike before though, and she had to say that, apart from the sore behind, it had been thrilling. Especially getting to hold on to Daryl's taut stomach and chest and getting to feel all those muscles under her hands.

"Which airport will be leaving from? I thought Atlanta's airport was the other way."

They were at a gas station, Daryl refilling and her sipping on a much needed coffee.

"We're not leaving from an airport. An old friend of mine, he… well, you'll see for yourself. Hope you ain't scared of flying," Daryl said, his usual smirk gracing his features.

"I've only been on a plane twice before," Beth confessed, feeling like the most boring human being in the world. "I guess that's kinda lame, huh?"

Daryl just shrugged, "You're young," he just said.

Beth huffed, a little annoyed that everyone seemed to consider her barely past her teenage years.

"You are. Ain't a bad thing, either," he muttered.

"How old are you?" she asked, feeling brave.

"Too old for this," he just replied, making her giggle. "Come on, we still have a couple hours down the road. You done with your coffee?"

Beth nodded, finishing the last few sips before throwing the cup away.

"Good. Jump up. And no more complaining about your ass."

Beth rolled her eyes, climbing up behind him and all too eagerly placing her arms around him.

* * *

Daryl was right, the place they had arrived to was definitely no airport. It was a landing field in the middle of nowhere, literally. There was nothing but grass on all sides of it, excluding a big shed where she could guess a plane –planes?- were stored.

As soon as Daryl stopped the motorbike, a man came out of the shed, yelling something at them she couldn't quite comprehend.

Beth got off the bike, her legs feeling shaky and unsteady for a few seconds, which Daryl immediately noticed.

"You think you can manage to walk, girl?" he asked her, sarcasm clear in his voice.

Beth swatted his arm, "Jerk."

He just smirked, satisfied, and led their way towards the man.

He was tall, taller than Daryl and way bulkier. His hair was red and so was his moustache, and his arm muscles were so big they looked ready to explode. He definitely looked intimidating, but as soon as Daryl approached him a huge smile broke on his face.

"Daryl Dixon! Man, it's been a long time! How you doing?" the man asked, giving Daryl a firm handshake and a one-arm hug.

"Doin' fine, man."

The man seemed to finally notice her, and his face immediately twisted in a malicious grin.

"Last time you showed up here you were with that Tyreese guy. Glad to see your taste has improved, Dixon. What's your name, sugar?" the man asked, eying her appraisingly. Beth blushed, feeling a little self conscious.

"I'm Beth, nice meeting you…"

"Abraham Ford, the pleasure all mine, Miss."

Beth smiled at him while Daryl rolled his eyes.

"Come inside, Eugene and Rosita will be happy to see you. Eugene actually wanted to talk to you about something, Daryl. Has to do with Mexico and whatever shit you got going on over there," Abraham said, leading them inside. It was pretty hot outside, but thankfully there was air conditioning in the small office he had built inside the shed.

Beth could see three small planes inside while they made their way to the office, and she couldn't help but feel her stomach clench at how _unsafe_ and old they looked. If Daryl noticed, he didn't show it.

There were two people inside: a pretty Latina girl, wearing too little clothes and a hat, who was working on some mechanical part while sucking on a lollipop, and she looked so badass and cool that Beth couldn't help but feel a little jealous. The other person was a chubby guy who was sporting a _mullet_ and looked like he hadn't taken a bath in years. Beth tried not to cringe when he smiled at her creepily, but couldn't help stepping a little closer to Daryl.

"Dixon! To what do we owe the pleasure?" Rosita asked, raising her hand in sign of greeting.

"Need to get to Mexico without people keeping track of my whereabouts."

"You came to the right place," she smiled, before seeing Beth and raising her eyebrows.

"This is Beth, she's an expert on Mayan art," Daryl said before she could ask.

Rosita only smiled, but Eugene seemed even more interested.

"Daryl, I've done the research you asked me for. Figured out the right landing spot. If my calculations are right, you should only be a couple days away by car. Well, and then there's the jungle, of course."

Daryl nodded, looking at the map Eugene had handed him. "Seems right to me," he said, nodding.

"I'll be flying you there," Abraham said, "but I need you to give me a date for when I gotta pick you up to."

"I'll call you from there," Daryl replied, still intently looking at the map.

Beth was feeling nervous all of a sudden, and so out of place: these people all seemed to know what was going on much better than she did, and when she noticed the stock of weapons that were lying in boxes everywhere in the room she started to realize how much of a burden she was going to be to Daryl. She wished she could be tough like Rosita, sure the Latina girl would have known how to shoot a gun and wouldn't have panicked at the idea of flying on board of a tiny, illegal plane.

"It's okay, you'll learn."

Beth almost jumped, and then she noticed Rosita had gotten up and made her way towards her.

"I've never seen Dixon taking a girl on a mission. He must have seen something in you that made him believe you were capable of this."

The girl seemed to have read her mind, and Beth couldn't help but wonder if she had been in her same situation not long ago.

Rosita went to one of the boxes and picked up a knife in a leather sheath, and she tied it wordlessly to Beth's belt, with a small wink.

None of the guys seemed to have noticed, to busy making plans looking at the map.

Beth smiled at Rosita, whispering "Thank you."

* * *

Beth tried to focus on something, _anything_ that wasn't the nausea that the plane ride was causing her. That thing bumped up and down and left and right more than a roller coaster would, and it was making her feel sick and scared.

Daryl was sitting in the front with Abraham, talking plans, and she was kind of glad he didn't have to see her like that. He had tied a whip around his belt and had gotten a hat out of his trunk, which Beth would have found hysterical hadn't she been on the verge of throwing up.

To distract herself, she took her knife out of her sheath, holding it experimentally and feeling the weight of it. She was so grateful to Rosita for that, and she just hoped she was going to learn how to actually use it.

"Rosita gave that to you?"

Daryl's voice startled her, and she noticed he was now sitting in front of her. That man could be as quiet as a cat, it was incredible.

"Yeah."

Daryl gestured for her to pass the knife to him, so she did, ignoring the warm feeling in her belly when her fingers brushed his.

"'s a good knife," he said, studying it. "I better teach you how to use it, what do you say?"

"Thank you!" she exclaimed, trying not to seem too desperate. Daryl smirked.

"Can't have you running around the jungle without knowing how to handle yourself, can I?"

Beth smiled, shaking her head. Daryl sat down next to her and started showing her how to hold the knife, how to throw it.

Before she knew it, they were landing in the middle of nowhere. Only, this nowhere was in Mexico.

* * *

 **So yeah, Daryl has the classic Indy whip-and-hat! Ahah! Let me know if you liked it ;)**


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